S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC Buys 2,047 Shares of The Southern Company (NYSE:SO)

by · The Cerbat Gem

S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Southern Company (NYSE:SO – Free Report) by 54.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,826 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,047 shares during the period. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $409,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Southern by 3.1% during the third quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,883 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC grew its stake in Southern by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 19,956 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,399,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. STAR Financial Bank grew its stake in Southern by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. STAR Financial Bank now owns 6,322 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Insight Inv LLC grew its stake in Southern by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 10,530 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $738,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Finally, Patten & Patten Inc. TN lifted its position in shares of Southern by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Patten & Patten Inc. TN now owns 20,736 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,454,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of Southern stock traded down $0.82 on Wednesday, reaching $69.77. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,630,464 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,595,905. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The Southern Company has a 52 week low of $61.56 and a 52 week high of $75.80. The company has a market capitalization of $76.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.23, a P/E/G ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.49. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $68.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $68.89.

Southern (NYSE:SO – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The utilities provider reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Southern had a return on equity of 11.40% and a net margin of 15.79%. The company had revenue of $6.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.26 earnings per share. Southern’s revenue was down 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that The Southern Company will post 4 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho raised their price target on Southern from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. UBS Group lowered Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $78.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $76.00 price target (up from $72.00) on shares of Southern in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Barclays reduced their price target on Southern from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.14.

Read Our Latest Report on SO

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern

In other Southern news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.94, for a total transaction of $334,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 129,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,672,210.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.94, for a total value of $334,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 129,552 shares in the company, valued at $8,672,210.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider David P. Poroch sold 10,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.96, for a total value of $706,526.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 28,691 shares in the company, valued at $2,007,222.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 20,998 shares of company stock valued at $1,446,113. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

About Southern

(Free Report)

The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations.

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